Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of Qatar East-to-West Ultra Run, Abdullah Al Dosari, addressing a press conference in Doha yesterday.
Doha: The 2020 edition of the Qatar East-to-West Ultra Run will take place on December 11 with runners tackling a distance of over 90 kilometres. This was announced at a press conference yesterday.
Abdullah Al Dosari, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, said the marathon would commence at 4:00am in the morning and end at the Dukhan Beach front at around 9:00pm.
“I would like to inform the public that the race will be run over a total distance of about 90 kilometers. It will start at Corniche - which has been identified as the starting point - and end at Dukhan Beach, which will be the end point of the marathon,” Al Dosari said at a pre-event press conference inside the Ministry of Culture and Sports headquarters.
He said there will be five stops during the race in order to give participants rest during which they will be served food and drink.
“The registration is open as we speak. It is open for all residents in Qatar. There is no age bar. I remember last year, one of the participants was 68 years old,” Al Dosari said.
“And he finished the race in Dukhan. It was a great effort from him,” he said.
“The participants have to be healthy. They have to meet certain fitness requirements. The ones who register with us will be given all the details on how to race and how to manage themselves since we still have COVID-19 SOPs in place,” he added.
“It is important for the runners to meet all of our terms and conditions.
“The last date for registration is Dec 1, 2020. This event is held under the patronage of Qatar Sports for All Federation who are participating in the race for the second time and the Ministry of Culture and Sports,” he said.
“Last year we had 300 participants and seven teams. This year we are expecting more but we may have a limit on how many can participate. That has to be decided,” he said.
“Like I said, the event will start at 4:00am and end around 9:00pm. It will be a 16-hour marathon. We hope people get ready and register as soon as possible,” he added.
“The aim of the race run is to urge members of society to practice sports, as it is an opportunity for runners and amateurs to finish the race in 16 hours. This event was a massive success last year,” he added.
Al Dosari pointed out that runners from 44 countries participated in the third edition of the race, noting that fourth edition will have prizes for the first three places.
“I am confident that sports fans in Qatar will participate in this race with all MOPH precautions applied in the country,” Al Dosari said.
He said that registration will be done through a link on the Qatar Sports for All Federation website.
“There will be a meeting with the registered participants on Dec 1. We shall give all details on that day,” he added.
